Inside stairway and folding door for double-deck motor coaches



Dec. 11, 1923.

A. E. HUTT INSIDE STAIRWAY AND FOLDING DOOR FOR DOUBLE DECK MOTORCOACHES Filed March 5. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR: agkv' m ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 11, 1923. 1,476.974

A. E. HUTT msnm STAIRWAY AND FOLDING DOOR FOR DOUBLE DECK MOTOR001101155 Filed March 5. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet z 1 J4 1.3 I m o W 1 1 If10 "$3 629 i 24 f1. {0 1 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. HUTT, F PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA.

INSIDE STAIRWAY AND FOLDING DOOR FOR DOUBLE'DECK MOTOR COACHES.

Application filed March 5, 1923. Serial No. 622,755.

' useful Inside Stairway and Folding Door for Double-Deck Motor(oat-hes. of which the following is a specification.

In the conventional double deck motor bus of the character commonly invogue, there has heretofore been employed an unsheltered outsidestairway for permitting the ascent of the 'ssengers to the upper deck,which outsi e stairway has always been so designed that it took up areat deal of unnecessary room, and in addition being always open tostorms and the effects 6f inclement weather, the steps thereof inticularly if the vehic bad weather were always open to the effectsskipper-y or coated dition has always had a tendency tointimidatepa-ssengers from ventnring aloft and has tended to a loss ofrevenue. from the re luctanoe of passengers tuketherisk in curred inelnmbering t the upper deck, parwas in motion;

For the purposeof'obviating the foregoing objectionable conditions, Ihave devised a novel construction and collocation of enclosed, insidestairway for a motor-,busivhich and takes up yery littlo room, isweather proof, rovidedwvith an inside folding door, whic 1 foldsinwardly into the stair well and preferably against the center stringer,whereby a maximum standing space is provided on the lower deck, andsince the stairway is wholly within the vehicle body, it gives theascending passenger a sense of security and safety and enables thetransportation company to sell the upper deck seats more readily. andsince the foldin doors fold inwardly into thistair well I am thusenabled to utilize the entire seating and" standing capacity of the bus.and particularly provide room for standing passengers on the lower deckby reason of my novel folding door construction.

My novel stairway is so dcsigncd and collocated within the vehicle thatthe user thereof. upon entering the rear of thebus,

walks entirely across the rear vestibule beyond the center aisle linebefore reaching the folding doors aforesaid and the first or lower stairtreads, so that he is entirely within the vehicle before beginning hisas cent and as the folding doors fold inwardly into the stair well thepassenger has ample room to make the ascent, without being impeded bythe projecting or folding doors sincethe lat-tor fold entirely out ofhis pathway into the stair well.

To the above cnds. my invention consists of a winding stairway common tothe u perand lower decks. located in a corner 0 the bus opposite thepassenger entrance, so that the end of the aisle of the lower deck intervcncs between said entrance and the lower treads, the latter beingspaced away from the end of the bus while the upper treads terminate. atthe upper deck in proximity to said end, in conjunction with foldingdoors adapted to be folded into the stair well out of the path of thepassengers.

It further consists of a novel combination of a. winding stairway,avertical hand rail, :1 central stringer, a stair door post, a door postand folding doors common theret and collocated in a; novel manner withrespect tion, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a form thereofwhich is at present preferred by me, since it will give in practicosatisfactory and reliable moi-ts, nl-' though it is to he understoodthat the various instru'lnentalities of which my invention consists canbe variously arranged and organized and thatmy invention is not limitedto the precise arrangement and orgam ization of these instrumentalitiesas herein shown and described.

Figure- 1 represents a side elevation of the invention showing therearentrance door open and the doors to the inside stairway folded out ofsight in the back of the stair door post.

Figure 2 represents a section on line 22 of Figure l. on an enlargedscale, showing the doors in their closed or unfolded position.

Figure 3 wpresents, on an enlarged Scale, a sectional view of the hingeconnection common to one of the door sections and the rear of the stairdoor post.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

1 designates the rear end of a motor coach, having the lower deck 2 andthe up per deck 3, said lower deck having the central aisle lend therear vestibule or platform space 4, in which is the upright stair doorpost 5, in advance of which is the door post 6, the latter being to oneside of the center aisle 3. The stair door post 5 is spaced well awayfrom the rear end 7 of the coach, as will be understood from Figure 2, i

so that a well defined standing s nice 8 is 10 afi'orded and there isalso a we! defined standing space 9 pnwided between the door posts 5 and(3. T he relative position'of the center stringer l0 and the outerstringer 11, and the lower stair trends 12, 13, 14-, 15 16 15 and so onup, will be understood from Figure 2, whereby a cinrular or windingstairway is provided, the lower treads being spaced well away from therear end 7 0f the coach, while the upper trends as 16 and 17 20terminate in proximity to said rear end and enable the passenger to stepout upon the up 1' deck 3. l

ithin the center stringer 10 is formed the stair well 18, in which islocated the vertieal hand rail 19, which extends from the platform 4upwardly through the u r deck 3, to about the extent indicated in inure1, its upper end being deflected laterally as at 20 and then downwardlyas at 21.

Especial attention is called to the collocation and arrangement of thefolding doors 22, seen in Figure 2, said'doors being composed of thesections 23 and 24, hinged together at 25, while the section 24 issecured to the hinged member or leaf 26, which is hinged at 27 to thehinge member,28. which is secured to the inner face of the stair doorpost 5.

When the door 22 is closed or unfolded, the sections23 and 24 appear asseen in full lines in Figure 2, the forward end of the section 23abutting against the door post 6. \Vhen the door is open or'in foldedosition, the parts appear as seen dotted'in igure 2, the folded doorrxxrupying the space in the stair well 18 intermediate the hand rail 19and the stair door port 5, and being folded against the center stringer10, It will be understood that the passenger on entering the rear of thecoach walks across the'wear end of the aisle 3, and between the doorposts 5 and 6 to the lower treads 12 and 13, so that he is entirelywithin the rear vestibule before begins his ascent of-the stairs, andthe door 22 being in open or folded position, affords no obstruction toquick ingress to or egress from the stairs, and in addition permits,when folded a' maximum amount. of room in thespaw between and inproximity \to the posts 5 and 6 for the standing passen- ,(rers andconductor to stand or more about in. This economizim, and utilization ofspace in the rear of a. motor coach of this character is a feature ofvery great importance in pussem other section zidepted to abut againstsaid -against said center stringer in'said would otherwise be wasted oroccupied by a projecting door to be utilized as above explained.

llavillg thus described my inventionwhat' I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is e 1. In a double deck motor coach,an upperand lower deck,e stairway common thereto, a stair door post spaced awayfrom the lower treads of said stairway, a coactin door post betweenwhich access is had to sai l stairwa. and a folding 'door hin 'to saidstair door post and adapted w on open to abut: against theopposifie postand when folded to be positioned betweenthestair door post and saidstairwavhnd out of the pathway to the latter.

2. In a double deck motor coach, on upper and a lower deck, a. circularstairway commen to said decks, a oenterstringer within which is formed astair well, a. stair door post, a door post forward of thelatter, ac;cess being afforded between-said" post to said stairway, and a. foldingdoor hinged to saidstair door post and adapted when folded to bepositioned against said center stringer antlll to occupy the spacewithin said stair we 3.' In a double deck motor ooach,-a circa q lnrstairway, a center stringer therefor, ac stair door post in proximity tosaid stringer, a door post located in advance thereof, and, a foldingdoor having one section hinged tothe inner face of said stair doorpost,q.and.the

door post, said door being adapted toiold stair well, so as to be outofthe path to said Sta-irway when folded; I

4. In a double deck motor coach, an upper and a lower deck, a circularstairway common to said decks and positioned in the rear corner of saidcoach across the aisle from the rear outer entrance, :1 center stringerfor said stairway, an outer stringer for said stairwirv, a stair doorpost positioned inproximity to said center stringer, a. doorpost inproximity to said outer stringer and a folding door hinged to, the innerfaceof said stair door post andadapted tobe folded his \rearwardlyagainst said center stringer and to occupy the stairwell within theletter.

5. In a double deck motor coach, an upper and a lower deck, a circularstairway common to said decks and located in the rear end of said coach,a center stringer for said stairway, an outer stringer, forsaidstairway, a. stair door post located in proximity to said centerstringer, a. door post located in prox imity to said outer stringer, avertical hand rail in the 'stair well formed within said centerstringer, and a folding door hinged to the inner portion of said stairdoor stand adapted to be folded against sai center stringer and tooccupy the space in said stair well intermediate said vertical hand atthe upper deck in roximity to said end. rail and stair door posts.folding doors for sairl stairway, and means 6. In a motor coach, upperand lower for permitting said doors to be folded into decks, a windingstairway common thereto the stair well out of the path of the passen- 5and located in a corner of the bug opposite gers. 15

the passenger entrance so that t e end of the aisle of the lower deckintervenes be- ALBERT tween said entrance of the lower treads, theW'itnesses: latter being spaced away from the end of JOSEPH F. COLLINS,

10 the bus, while the upper treads terminate E. A. 001mm, Sr.

